'She could cut a ribbon!' Voters' views on Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch

• Voters in Kemi Badenoch's Essex constituency have their say on the Tory leadership contender

Voters living in Kemi Badenoch's constituency have been giving their verdict on the Tory leadership hopeful, with one saying "she could cut a ribbon".

The North West Essex MP and Robert Jenrick are now the final two contenders in the Tory leadership race after fellow Essex MP James Cleverly was knocked out in the latest round of voting.

But it was a close run thing - with Badenoch receiving 42 votes, Jenrick 41, and Cleverly 37.

Among shoppers in Saffron Walden there were mixed views over whether she should take the top job, with one telling ITV News Anglia: "I don't think she's the right person, because she wasn't very good at her job here. She could cut a ribbon!"

Other voters felt her becoming the next Tory leader could distract her from dealing with her constituents, but Karen Oakley, who runs a local delicatessen, say Badenoch had some 'good ideas.'

Mrs Badenoch has made a name for herself by what she describes as her "no-nonsense approach" and is no stranger to controversy.

She faced a fierce backlash at Conservative conference after she appeared to claim maternity pay was "excessive" before saying she had been misrepresented.

This bid is not Badenoch's first try at becoming leader - she came fourth in the contest in 2022 which the former South West Norfolk MP Liz Truss went on to win, before lasting less than two months as PM.

Whether Kemi Badenoch will succeed her as Tory leader, will now go to the party members, who will receive ballot papers from 15 October before voting closes on 31 October.

The new leader will be revealed on 2 November.

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